Football | Absa Premiership

Ajax too inconsistent, moans coach

Ajax Cape Town coach Maarten Stekelenburg says inconsistency has been the unwanted buzz word around his side this season but must be expelled if the club are to finish up among the title challengers in the Absa Premiership.

“When you talk about us, inconsistency is the word you have to mention. If you look at our performance in the league, it has been very inconsistent. And this is also true for the matches we’ve played as well, where we have good momentum and show we can play good football but aren’t able to always keep it up.”

Speaking ahead of his side’s departure to Gauteng for their meeting with bottom placed Jomo Cosmos at the Sinaba Stadium on Wednesday, the rookie coach added: “We have conceded too many simple goals and we have not been clinical enough in front of goal.”

After three successive defeats, the Ajax coach said the Cosmos matches he was pivotal if the club were still keep alive title hopes. “We want to be among the top group, not among the teams fighting for places in the top eight. But now it is too late to talk about where we are going to finish, now we can only assess it on a game by game basis.”

Stekelenburg said he expected tough encounter against struggling Cosmos.

“They have had a few results lately that have gone their way and sometimes that is what you also need as a team. They have tough defenders who fight hard and they have strikers who can score goals. We need to have a compact defence against their direct style of play and not give them space for any counter attacks.

“If you are a team pushing to be near the top of the table then you must beat a team who are near the bottom. But if you think you can just go there and win because they are bottom, that is dangerous,” added the Ajax coach.